SNL owns as much as its controversial previous for its fiftieth anniversary
Saturday Evening Reside didn’t draw back from its controversial previous throughout its fiftieth anniversary particular, highlighting moments that haven’t aged nicely — together with appearances by Diddy, R. Kelly, and O.J. Simpson.
In the direction of the top of the SNL50 particular, which aired Sunday, February 16, what first appeared like a typical In Memoriam phase turned out to be one thing else completely. As a substitute of honouring misplaced forged members, the montage showcased sketches, visitor appearances, and characters that may increase an eyebrow at this time.
Tom Hanks launched the parody phase with a tongue-in-cheek monologue. “As we celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years, we must also take a moment to honour those who we’ve lost, countless members of the SNL family, taken from us too soon,” he started.
Hanks then revealed the twist, “I’m speaking, of course, about SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly…”
The montage featured a 2013 sketch with Sean “Diddy” Combs and Robert De Niro, in addition to a musical quantity with R. Kelly and Girl Gaga. It additionally identified that the present had “two murderers” as previous hosts — seemingly referencing O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake.
Among the many sketches have been a number of by which actors appeared in balckface or with darkened pores and skin, although SNL opted to blur these faces.
Hanks himself was featured among the many offensive “ethnic stereotypes,” in addition to Aiden Brody’s Jamaican character. The present even acknowledged previous jokes about little one sexual abuse, together with a scene the place Mike Myers shared a tub with a younger Macaulay Culkin.